Being reunited with Tulane, Tulsa, SMU and Memphis in the AAC would mean a more regional and academic alignment as well as a better financial situation

(10-13-2021 11:41 AM)esayem Wrote:  

(10-13-2021 10:19 AM)DavidSt Wrote:  

(10-13-2021 10:12 AM)The Cutter of Bish Wrote:  Rice has always been in a good position to rejoin a better conference. If only it ever really put into its athletics and kept at it as such, their current situation would be much different. Maybe even in a major conference by now. But, they don’t, so, now they’re not.

I mean, we know they’ve been active. Approaching the MWC, approaching the Big XII (maybe more than once)…AAC in its current state is going to be status quo, imo, or, just a shell of what it used to experience in CUSA back in 2010-13. Nothing against the AAC, either, but…if Rice doesn’t get a new home out of this? Fallen waaay back.

I get the impression, too, that they look to Tulane and SMU, when they should look at TCU and Baylor. Or, stop looking with disgust what Houston has been doing. Spend and win to get in.

When you have both Buffalo and Stony Brook spending money to win? I could see both of them leaping in front of Rice for the AAC.

Stony Brook!?!?

They’re in the best media market in the country and nobody knows who they are!

Yeah. That Seawolves 2020 campaign kinda stalled out. They tried to pull a Colorado State and have funds reallocated to expand the stadium (which still wouldn’t meet AAC standards), but got nixed by the governor.

They are well behind Buffalo, who has its own issues. Now, I like Buffalo over Rice for the AAC because they are a more consistent football and basketball program than Rice, but, those “value-add’s” aren’t how these decisions are made. And, again, Buffalo has its own issues, including venue problems of its own.

(10-13-2021 10:15 AM)MinerInWisconsin Wrote:  Wouldn't the Rice AD already be aware of interest from the AAC? So is he saying these things to advertise Rice's interest in firming up those interests or is he worried that the AAC is passing on Rice? Is he also saying that the MWC isn't of interest to Rice?

Passing unless firm, significant upgrades committed

(10-13-2021 12:42 PM)solohawks Wrote:  Being reunited with Tulane, Tulsa, SMU and Memphis in the AAC would mean a more regional and academic alignment as well as a better financial situation

I’m pretty sure that Memphis and SMU don’t consider Rice their peer.

(10-13-2021 06:51 AM)shizzle787 Wrote:  Rice to the AAC with UAB.

Would not surprise me.

(10-13-2021 12:44 PM)DoubleRSU Wrote:  

(10-13-2021 12:42 PM)solohawks Wrote:  Being reunited with Tulane, Tulsa, SMU and Memphis in the AAC would mean a more regional and academic alignment as well as a better financial situation

I’m pretty sure that Memphis and SMU don’t consider Rice their peer.

cool

but from a Rice AD perspective it would mean a more regional and academic alignment as well as a better financial situation

(10-13-2021 12:40 PM)seaking4steel Wrote:  Waiting for All4One to mention how CUSA will survive realignment. Its pretty telling that everyone in the conference has eyes elsewhere.

Don't know if All4One will mention it but I will. CUSA could be hit very hard once again by realignment. We all know that. The last upheaval saw only 5 schools left and they survived, even if only a shell of their former selves. The same will happen again.

The future AAC is in no position to add prestigious/nationally relevant football and/or men's hoops programs

But adding Rice and UAB would help the league 1. maintain a strong academic profile (Rice is elite and UAB, with a school of medicine, is very respected); 2. provide strong recruiting grounds in both major sports — and cool cities to which to travel for fans.

An ACC that continues operations with every institution being either very or fairly academically prestigious (notwithstanding Wichita, Memphis and ECU) would be a positive. There are other potential additions that would not bring such academic notoriety of interesting locales.

I've maintained on this board many times that the universities that are most attractive to the AAC are those that offer a "nationally relevant calling card" of sorts in football, men's basketball, academics and/or locations (the later for enjoyable fan travel and recruiting grounds). Many of the AAC candidates offer none of the four. UAB and Rice offer two of the four (academics and locations). And for the AAC, that's about as good as it can get.

I would be fully fine with the AAC adding UAB and Rice.

i predict Rice and UAB to AAC

(10-13-2021 12:40 PM)seaking4steel Wrote:  Waiting for All4One to mention how CUSA will survive realignment. Its pretty telling that everyone in the conference has eyes elsewhere.

Oh, they'll survive, at least in a technical sense. They might wind up at 8 with an affiliate or two, but they'll survive. Just aren't enough spots elsewhere for the conference to go away entirely.

(10-13-2021 12:43 PM)Pony94 Wrote:  

(10-13-2021 10:15 AM)MinerInWisconsin Wrote:  Wouldn't the Rice AD already be aware of interest from the AAC? So is he saying these things to advertise Rice's interest in firming up those interests or is he worried that the AAC is passing on Rice? Is he also saying that the MWC isn't of interest to Rice?

Passing unless firm, significant upgrades committed

Thinking along these lines, yeah: where is Rice’s support coming from? Because i can think of a few who might see them as the anchor they are athletically. SMU maybe more than most. Tulane and Tulsa might be cool with them…have to imagine others won’t be. Like, I don’t know if I’m Temple, I like trading trips to Houston and it NOT being for a Cougars team who shows up and plays well. I don’t think Temple cares much for this addition. Or, rather, I don’t think Philly media likes the conference makeup Temple is in if it adds Rice. Those two aren’t the same.

(10-13-2021 12:42 PM)The Cutter of Bish Wrote:  

(10-13-2021 11:41 AM)esayem Wrote:  

(10-13-2021 10:19 AM)DavidSt Wrote:  

(10-13-2021 10:12 AM)The Cutter of Bish Wrote:  Rice has always been in a good position to rejoin a better conference. If only it ever really put into its athletics and kept at it as such, their current situation would be much different. Maybe even in a major conference by now. But, they don’t, so, now they’re not.

I mean, we know they’ve been active. Approaching the MWC, approaching the Big XII (maybe more than once)…AAC in its current state is going to be status quo, imo, or, just a shell of what it used to experience in CUSA back in 2010-13. Nothing against the AAC, either, but…if Rice doesn’t get a new home out of this? Fallen waaay back.

I get the impression, too, that they look to Tulane and SMU, when they should look at TCU and Baylor. Or, stop looking with disgust what Houston has been doing. Spend and win to get in.

When you have both Buffalo and Stony Brook spending money to win? I could see both of them leaping in front of Rice for the AAC.

Stony Brook!?!?

They’re in the best media market in the country and nobody knows who they are!

Yeah. That Seawolves 2020 campaign kinda stalled out. They tried to pull a Colorado State and have funds reallocated to expand the stadium (which still wouldn’t meet AAC standards), but got nixed by the governor.

They are well behind Buffalo, who has its own issues. Now, I like Buffalo over Rice for the AAC because they are a more consistent football and basketball program than Rice, but, those “value-add’s” aren’t how these decisions are made. And, again, Buffalo has its own issues, including venue problems of its own.

If you’ve ever actually ever been to Rice stadium you’d know Rice has venue issues as well. You literally pee against a painted wall that drains into a trough. The bones are good—great sight lines and view of the surrounding area---but it’s seriously in need of updating. I mean—the old splinter filled wood benches are long gone—but there is still a lot left to do. For example---the restrooms on the second level don’t even work.

(10-13-2021 12:44 PM)DoubleRSU Wrote:  

(10-13-2021 12:42 PM)solohawks Wrote:  Being reunited with Tulane, Tulsa, SMU and Memphis in the AAC would mean a more regional and academic alignment as well as a better financial situation

I’m pretty sure that Memphis and SMU don’t consider Rice their peer.

Correct. Any student that is accepted at Rice doesn't go to SMU or Memphis. And any (revenue sport) athlete that has offers from SMU and Memphis doesn't go to Rice.

How much money would it take to give Rice Stadium a modern update?

(10-13-2021 12:37 PM)DoubleRSU Wrote:  

(10-13-2021 12:35 PM)Chappy Wrote:  

(10-13-2021 07:51 AM)quo vadis Wrote:  So Rice badly wants out of CUSA.

Who doesn't?

And he's right about their academics and endowment. Unfortunately, while that counts for something, it doesn't count for as much as, say, a winning football team.

Rice needs to do like SMU did with Larry Brown and make a splash basketball hire to put them on the map in BBall. A small school with high academic standards like Rice will never be able to be consistently good in football, but they could make noise in basketball.

They haven’t been to the ncaa tournament since 1970 and have been to 4 NITs since 1990. They will never be able to make noise in basketball.

SMU was all but the same story and went out and made a splash basketball hire and became relevant immediately. Rice if they wanted to could afford to go hire a Rick Pitino or Greg Marshall, big name with baggage that would make them relevant immediately.

(10-13-2021 01:41 PM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  How much money would it take to give Rice Stadium a modern update?

They already updated a few years. Why make a really nice stadium for 15,000 people - at best?

(10-13-2021 01:59 PM)DoubleRSU Wrote:  

(10-13-2021 01:41 PM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  How much money would it take to give Rice Stadium a modern update?

They already updated a few years. Why make a really nice stadium for 15,000 people - at best?

Same reason SMU and Tulane built new stadiums. Same reason UAB just got a new stadium built.

(10-13-2021 01:51 PM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  

(10-13-2021 12:37 PM)DoubleRSU Wrote:  

(10-13-2021 12:35 PM)Chappy Wrote:  

(10-13-2021 07:51 AM)quo vadis Wrote:  So Rice badly wants out of CUSA.

Who doesn't?

And he's right about their academics and endowment. Unfortunately, while that counts for something, it doesn't count for as much as, say, a winning football team.

Rice needs to do like SMU did with Larry Brown and make a splash basketball hire to put them on the map in BBall. A small school with high academic standards like Rice will never be able to be consistently good in football, but they could make noise in basketball.

They haven’t been to the ncaa tournament since 1970 and have been to 4 NITs since 1990. They will never be able to make noise in basketball.

SMU was all but the same story and went out and made a splash basketball hire and became relevant immediately. Rice if they wanted to could afford to go hire a Rick Pitino or Greg Marshall, big name with baggage that would make them relevant immediately.

SMU made 4 Ncaa appearances from 1984-1993 and 2 NITs in 1984 and 2000. That’s a lot more respectable than Rice’s post season history.

(10-13-2021 02:06 PM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  

(10-13-2021 01:59 PM)DoubleRSU Wrote:  

(10-13-2021 01:41 PM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  How much money would it take to give Rice Stadium a modern update?

They already updated a few years. Why make a really nice stadium for 15,000 people - at best?

Same reason SMU and Tulane built new stadiums. Same reason UAB just got a new stadium built.

Tulane and UAB didn’t have on campus facilities. Ford Stadium was built 20 years ago.

(10-13-2021 01:41 PM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  How much money would it take to give Rice Stadium a modern update?

Don't talk about things that won't happen, small baby steps...small, small steps. But one thing Rice is doing is they are increasing student enrollment and are making some changes on campus.